A thread of people on NHS waiting lists

[AngelaoftheNorth]

Cardiac procedure scheduled for 12 days from now. Given the post-pandemic backlogs, though, I would imagine there are many, many people here waiting more like 12 weeks or 12 months for appointments, investigations, and surgery.

Would anyone like a support thread whilst we wait?

I'm feeling somewhat unwell (obviously, really) but what I am finding hardest of all is the anxiety. How are others on waiting lists doing?

Pre Covid I’ve waited 9 months for a consultation, 14 months for one procedure and 16 months for an operation.

I’ve currently been waiting 4 months just for a physio appointment and 5 months for a cardiologist appointment. Given the pre covid wait times in our area we’re already lengthy, I won’t hold my breath!

I hope all goes well and you have a speedy recovery

My 4 year old had a peads follow up for sensory processing difficulties/ADHD assessment due in Jan 22, it was moved to July, then to Nov, and now Nov has been cancelled too with no new date given, hope everyone waiting gets good news soon

I've been waiting for a hip op since May 2020. By the time I get it it probably won't work as the condition will have progressed too far :-(

I've been waiting for a knee op since December 2019.

Raised CA125 six weeks ago only finally seeing someone this week as I made a fuss. I was told it could be 12.5 to 18 weeks for a scan even with cancer indicators and having a pre existing condition that raises risk of Ovarian Cancer. Its terrifying.

I’m waiting for an endoscopy. Top and tails.

Apparently I need to ring again in 2 months if I haven’t heard anything

However, had to go to A&E again last week so the doctor is popping me up the list a bit.

I need to go back every time I feel like it gets worse or I can’t cope and he will personally call and get me moved up the list a bit more each time.

My toddler was diagnosed with glue ear and was told we need to see the ENT specialist to possibly get gromits, got our appointment through for 18 months time, lucky it resolved itself in 9 months but he's now speech delayed and we have to wait until he's 2 to be reffered to speech therapy (he's 2 in November and only says mamma and dada and grunts pointing at things) I worry how long the wait for speech therapy will be.

We also had him reffered to a dermatologist for his excema in May and our appointment isant until the end of November so another painfully long wait with him suffering with bleeding skin as its so bad and the only thing that helps is steroids which he can't be on constantly

Endocrinology referal since Sept 2021 gynecology since October 2021 cardiology since May 2022.

Apparently they up to April 2021 people at the moment.

Though I used to work for NHS and a top consultant explained to me the higher ups are willing to pay staff for more hours to get the lists down, physically and mentally the surgeons and doctors and all nurses hca and support staff can't work any more hours or put on any more clinics or surgical theatre slots.

There jusy isn't enough hours in the day. And safety has to be an issue. No one wants a surgery with staff who are already working 70+ hours a day. Making critical decisions and delicate surgery.

So it's a no win situation for patients or staff.

Goodness, so I really am not alone. My wait has only been 8 weeks, but it is slightly ahem urgent.

How is everyone coping with the waiting? The uncertainty, the ongoing symptoms, the pain, the anxiety &etc? For me the anxiety is the hardest.

Waiting for respiratory clinic since about April and Neurologist since July.

Can’t help but think respiratory are taking the piss to be honest. I only really want to see a respiratory physio.

This is awful - I hope the appointment goes well.

Right at the beginning of covid I was told my son had been approved for whole exome sequencing & it would take 6 weeks. I know that the genetics labs were shut down for everything except emergencies (which his case is not). It is on my list to follow up.

On the waiting list for cataract removal since February last year. Was told it would be about a year ...

I was due a monitoring endoscopy this year. Not heard a thing. I've not chased it yet as I'm pregnant but I'll be chasing it up as soon as baby is born. I have a feeling there's an 18 month delay as they weren't doing them during covid.

GP has just referred me to dermatology for a vascular blemish on my face. Received the appointment last week for 10th May. Hopefully it's nothing sinister.

I've been waiting over a year since referral for a first appointment at Pelvic Pain clinic. The GP did get me CA125 and ultrasound in spring/summer 2021 (after considerable pain onset in Dec 2020), so that's made me less concerned about the cause of pain, but I had no idea it would be this long to get to gynae.

I've been waiting four months for stomach surgery. Phoned the surgeon's secretary and it's a 76 week wait, so about 60 weeks to go.

I had a blemish on my face and skin cancer was suspected. 14 months wait, pre Covid. I took out a loan and paid privately. Just as well as it was a nasty, invasive one.

I've been waiting for a CT Angiogram since the end of June but I was warned it would take a long time, probably next year. In the meantime, I've had an US Echo (about a month ago) but had no results from that.

During the pandemic, I needed an ultrasound on lymph nodes and it took 1 month from referral! But I got the impression that during the pandemic people were afraid to go to the hospital and a lot canceled their appointments which made things quicker.

My DS was referred to ENT during the pandemic too and it was super quick - whereas now I've been told our local waiting list is 12-18 months.

I've been waiting since January for an ENT appointment. I got a letter to say I'm on the list but have heard nothing since.

2.5 years for CPTSD treatment (EMDR) so likely won’t be seen until January 2025, admittedly it’s through a very small very specialised team but GP said she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when phoning me to explain .

(the biggest laugh when on phone - what’s your availability like in 2025, mornings or afternoons?!)!

I have been given lifestyle/self help advice meantime, have been told if it hits crisis they’ll see if there’s anything faster/more immediate, have adhoc access to one off appointments as long as I’m on that list - and have been given given details of two free services (one thinks they can see me by January) but it’s crazy that the NHS service is so long .

I took out a £30k loan, which I am now repaying, to pay for private surgery that has enabled me to continue to walk.
I was told the wait would be 18months to 2 years but if I hadn't had surgery I'd have been disabled in 2 months.

Liver clinic since Dec 2019, - it's specialised and only 2 in the country, endocrinology since 2021, physio since Jan this year

more frustratingly it takes 6 weeks currently to get a blood test and I've tried every day (that they're open) to book a dr appt for 16 days to be told to call back the next day.

You can't book in advance and phoning in when the lines open still means you're sat in a queue, anything after 15 in the queue, you know you're going to be referred to the Ooh which means an 8 hr ish wait which I simply can't do.

Two years for dd's hip operation. It's been so long that she's no longer eligible for the paediatric service and has been moved to adults. We were originally told 6 months was the expected wait. I work for the NHS myself so I'm well aware of the challenges, but at this rate she'll have left home before it happens. We got excited in May because she was invited in for a pre-op assessment, but it's all gone very quiet since then.

Having said that other things seem to be OK locally; suspected cancer pathway is still operating to 2 week wait (I got the all clear thankfully) and I have a long term condition requiring regular shared consultant and GP care which has been mostly fine.

Was told in February that my consultant wants to see me in 3 months and has referred me for more testing. I've not heard a thing.

Waiting since July to see neurology. GP somehow thinks I'll be seen in a few weeks. Not heard anything

Actually this has also reminded me, on the teams neurologist appointment I had October 2021, I was told I would have a follow up appointment in 3 months. An MRI was also discussed 🙄

How do I cope on the waiting lists? Badly. My MH is in tatters. I veer between total despair & worry that I’m going to keel over and complete numbness that I feel so awful and nothing is being done whilst I have so many referrals outstanding.

"How do I cope on the waiting lists? Badly. My MH is in tatters. I veer between total despair & worry that I’m going to keel over and complete numbness that I feel so awful and nothing is being done whilst I have so many referrals outstanding."

Me too exactly 😭